April 11, 2020

The FirstOntario Centre has hosted rock stars and Hamilton Bulldogs hockey players, but on Saturday evening, it welcomed its first wave of homeless men looking for shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The former Copps Coliseum has been transformed into a makeshift shelter for men, complete with a medical room, isolation room, dinner space, beds and recreational activities.

Brian Kreps, program manager of social housing from the city’s housing services division, told CBC News the 17,000-square-foot venue will help reduce the demand at the other three shelters for men (Good Shepherd Centre, Mission Services and the Salvation Army).